Inter-Franciscan Course for New Missionaries in Asia

On June 4, 2023, Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the opening Mass of the inter-Franciscan course for new missionaries in Asia was held in Cebu, Philippines. The celebration was presided by Br. Carlos Trovarelli, General Minister of the Friars Minor Conventual and concelebrated by the three Secretaries for Missionary Evangelization of the three Franciscan Orders, i.e., Friars Minor, Conventual and Capuchin.

The course focuses on the theme, “Sent to Asia to further enrich our mission of proclaiming the Gospel in the spirit of the Franciscan Jubilee, as lesser brothers in synodality”. 16 friars of the First Order are participating in this training, including 3 Conventual friars, 6 Capuchin friars, 7 Friars Minor and 1 friar of the Third Order Regular. Over the span of two months (from June 3 to July 29, 2023), the friars will reflect on and explore the most important aspects of mission and the needs for it on the Asian continent. This is the second year that the traditional missionary course in Brussels will take place on the continents, after the course held in 2022 in Uganda, Africa. 

According to Brother Mariosvaldo Florentino (Secretary for the Missions), “with this course, we want to help these brothers who have accepted the challenge of leaving for the mission to understand more deeply the insights of St. Francis of Assisi in our missionary approach and provide them with the most decent preparation so that they can face the new challenges that being a missionary in Asia would entail.”